New Musical Workshop Production, Opens for 4 Week Run at NoHo Arts Center

It’s your classic story: Boy-meets-alien, boy-loses-alien, boy-gets-alien, and everyone sings-and-dances. Billed as an intergalactic musical, ‘It Happened in Roswell’ is set on the site of a flying saucer landing at Roswell, New Mexico on July 3, 1949. This new musical will have a limited run this August at the NoHo Arts Center.

‘It Happened in Roswell’ tells the story of hard-nosed reporter Scoop who thinks he's just chasing a story to save his sagging career. But when the alien turns out to be a wide-eyed sexy girl whom the Army wants to capture and dissect in the laboratory, well, Scoop discovers he’s in a big pickle: get the story, or get the girl?

‘It Happened in Roswell’ won the 2014 Search for New Musicals, as well as the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2008, and the Festival of New Musicals in 2007. It was written by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal and was concieved and developed at the ANMT, honoring the forty year tradition of Academy writers writing musicals.

Director Scott Guy says, ‘It’s a charming, goofy show, without any pretensions to be anything more than a whole lot of fun. It’s packed with jokes and wonderful, earnest characters who don’t know what to do with someone who isn’t of their race. There’s a subliminal message about tolerance and acceptance as well, but me, I like it because it’s tuneful and fun.’

‘We’re loving the setting of Roswell for our musical,’ says co-writer Atkins, ‘Everything’s heightened, which makes it easier for our characters to burst into song. But there’s also a little bit of menace in the location and the post-war timeframe, which gives us some opportunity to ground the characters. It’s not ALL singin’ and dancin’. There’s, you know…romance!’

‘It Happened in Roswell’, continuing in the tradition of creating and writing musicals, will be presented in a workshop production (meaning suggested scenery and costumes, rather than full scenery with turntables and special effects) with an Equity cast of professionals, as part of New Musicals Inc.’s summer series. Rory Dunn plays the hard-nosed reporter, with Broadway's Julie Tolivar as the alien. Nathan Ondracek plays a sweet 4F lad who has been too preoccupied trying to communicate with aliens to notice the love of his life, Bessie, right in front of him in the local diner. Deranged former military man Major Nails is played by John McCool Bowers. Rounding out the other eccentrics in the town are cast members Amy Bloom, Emma Sperka, Emerson Boatwright, and Carrie Madsen. Music direction is by Ron Barnett. Co-directed by Terrence Atkins and Scott Guy. Produced by New Musicals Inc.

‘It Happened in Roswell’ will be presented for nine performances on Sunday and Monday evenings from August 3 through August 25th. At the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd, in North Hollywood. Tickets are $20 and may be reserved at New Musical Inc’s website: www.nmi.org